one minute he was pro at Blackpool, then after playing for MC cricket for Cumberland he was given a chance at Northants, playing on a match-by-match basis while continuing his full-time job coaching in schools and cricket clubs on behalf of the Lancashire Cricket Board. All this without ever representing his native Lancashire in any of the county age groups - ever. How did that happen?

"I played in under-16s festivals for one of the area teams but that was as close as it got to playing for Lancashire," Gleeson said. "I didn't play any Second XI games or even in age-group teams."